"The Giants knew there was virtually no chance to re-sign Mario Manningham
once free agency kicked in, because their salary cap budget did not include
spending big bucks for a No. 3 receiver, which is where he sat on the depth
chart. Now that Manningham has agreed to terms on a two-year contract with the
49ers, the Giants are officially in the market for a pass-catcher to augment the
skills of Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz.<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none">

It is highly likely the Giants will turn to the NFL Draft to find a receiver,
but probably not very early in the draft. Plus, rookie receivers rarely make
much of an impact in the Giants offensive system, as coordinator Kevin Gilbride
puts great demands on his receivers as far as making reads and adjustments. A
veteran could also be imported in free agency but it won’t be a high-priced
player who can be expected to make a huge difference.
</p>Two weeks ago, Eli Manning suspected he had thrown his last pass to
Manningham, who greatly enhanced his market value after a sluggish regular
season (39 catches for 523 yards and four touchdowns) with a break-out
postseason (13 catches for 189 yards and three touchdowns). His 38-yard
over-the-shoulder catch in the closing minutes was the play of the game as the
Giants came back to beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none">

“He had a tremendous playoff run,’’ Manning said. “He stepped in when Hakeem
was hurt or Vic was down. He stepped in and started for us and made big plays.
He’s been in this offense a long time and knows it and obviously has big-play
potential.’’</p>

As Manningham takes that big-play potential to the Bay Area, the Giants must
search for a replacement. From within, the three candidates on the roster are
all punctuated with question marks rather than exclamation points. General
manager Jerry Reese used a third-round pick in last year’s draft on Jerrel
Jernigan to develop into a shifty slot receiver with run-after-catch ability. As
a rookie, Jernigan played in only eight games, did not catch a pass and
struggled early on punt returns to land him a spot on the inactive list for the
bulk of the first half of the season. Given the year to learn the NFL ropes, the
Giants hope Jernigan takes a huge step forward because the opportunity is there
for him.</p>

This is likely the last opportunity for towering Ramses Barden, a 2009
third-round pick who in three seasons has only 15 catches for 174 yards and
needs to show something to stick on the roster. </p>

The other option is Domenik Hixon, who has 63 career receptions but has
played in only two games the past two seasons because of two reconstructive
anterior cruciate ligament surgeries on the same knee. </p>

Hixon was re-signed last week and the Giants hope he can regain the form that
made him a reliable kickoff and punt returner, but asking him to become the
third receiver might be a stretch."</p></div>

</div>

swimeasy

03-19-2012, 11:00 AM

Thanks Ro. OK, I will dial back my hopes for Hixon (nods to Kruunch). Sounds like JJ will be a major focus of the offseason school of Eli.

Diamondring

03-19-2012, 11:03 AM

I just read the first part of the article. They said they weren't going to pay a lot of money for a 3rd wr. Yet they forgot that in 010, Mario had close to 1,000 yards as the 2 wr after Smith was out so what that tells ya? Mario is more than a third wide out and may be a good second receiver and even a first receiver as well.

RoanokeFan

03-19-2012, 11:05 AM

Thanks Ro. OK, I will dial back my hopes for Hixon (nods to Kruunch). Sounds like JJ will be a major focus of the offseason school of Eli.

I wouldn't dial back any hopes for Hixon. He will be our return man and # 3 or # 4 receiver. Which depends on how well Jernigan comes along this season.

RoanokeFan

03-19-2012, 11:06 AM

I just read the first part of the article. They said they weren't going to pay a lot of money for a 3rd wr. Yet they forgot that in 010, Mario had close to 1,000 yards as the 2 wr after Smith was out so what that tells ya? Mario is more than a third wide out and may be a good second receiver and even a first receiver as well.

He 3wasn't more than a 3rd WR here because of the two guys playing ahead of him. What he is somewhere else, who knows.

I Bleed Blue

03-19-2012, 11:19 AM

I just read the first part of the article. They said they weren't going to pay a lot of money for a 3rd wr. Yet they forgot that in 010, Mario had close to 1,000 yards as the 2 wr after Smith was out so what that tells ya? Mario is more than a third wide out and may be a good second receiver and even a first receiver as well.

BINGO! Many on this board have selective memories when it comes to Manningham. When Smith and Nicks were out together during the 2010 season, Mario became the number one, and the offense didn't miss a beat. This guy is good enough to be a number one elsewhere. This is a big void to fill no matter how you slice it. I love Nicks, but he simply cannot stay healthy. Who will fill in for him when he goes down again? Why not resign Devin Thomas and give him shot?

GfieldGmen

03-19-2012, 11:48 AM

When I watch Jerrel Jernigan's college highlights that guy looks like a stud. I'm hoping having an NFL season under his wings and a real full NFL off season can allow him to reach his potential because he has a lot.